Holding Back the Tears
by AquaDestinysEmbrace
Summary: Before the community... before Carver... before the walkers... 12-year-old Anne Marshall was living a nightmare every day of her life. Now... the real nightmare begins. When the dead rise and civilization falls, how will she cope with it? (Prequel to Bad Things Will Always Happen!)
1. Chapter 1

**[A/N] Hey guys!**

**This here is a prequel to Bad Things Will Always Happen. Until episode 4 of The Walking Dead Season 2 comes out, I'll be focusing on this!**

**Follow 12-year-old Anne Marshall as she struggles to survive the beginning of the end.**

**I don't own The Walking Dead or any of its characters**

**I do own Anne Marshall**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

_**THWACK!**_

I grunt as I hurtle to the ground, scraping my knee in the process. As soon as I hit the pavement, I hear laughter.

"Serves you right, freak!"

Pushing myself up, I gently feel my cheek, which is beginning to form a bruise from the hit. I then look up at my tormentors.

"Why?! Why are you doing this to me?! What have I ever done to you?!" I nearly scream.

One of them, a blonde boy aged thirteen, smirks. "Because you're nothing but a freak! You don't deserve to be around here! Because of you, we have to see your ugly face every day! We're doing the world a favor!"

I gingerly reach up and gently cover my right eye, which is already covered by my bangs and a dark blue bandana.

"Cyclops!" one of them taunts.

"Emo!" another jeers.

"Abomination!"

I bite my lip, holding back the tears.

One punches me again, and I spit out blood.

"Stop... just stop!" I choked out.

This only causes them to laugh even more. I look up at them and feel anger building up inside me. I clench my fists tightly. I then say something I never thought that I would say to them.

"SCREW YOU!"

The laughter ceases immediately. The one that had punched me earlier glares at me menacingly.

"What did you say?!"

I start backing away.

"Y-You heard me!" I stuttered before turning on my heel and making a break for it.

"Get the freak!" he yelled as they began chasing after me.

Panting, I run around a corner, passing several people as I desperately try to escape them. Looking over my shoulder, I can see them gaining on me.

Crap...

Adrenaline pumps through my legs as I run faster.

I duck around another corner and hide behind a bush, crouching down. My breath hitched as I heard their footsteps getting closer.

"Where'd she go?!" I heard a boy demand in a thick Southern drawl.

"I saw her go this way!" one yelled as they began running away from the bushes. As soon as they are out of sight, I sigh with relief and sink down to my knees.

It's another one of THOSE days...

I walk around, I get cornered by jackasses, and I get the crap beaten out of me...

This has been happening since Preschool...

It's all because of...

I feel a tear come to my eye, but I wipe it away.

I stand up and step out from behind the bush. Shoving my hands into my pockets, I begin to walk home...

* * *

"Hey, look! It's the 'Cyclops'!" I hear a girl exclaim as she stands with her posse.

A brunette smirks at me. "Where you goin', Cyclops? Back to your cave?"

The girls cackle. I feel another tear come to my eye as I try to ignore them.

I don't know what's worse... getting beaten up, or having to listen to this...

"Aw, is the wittle Cyclops gonna cry?" one of them asked, using a baby voice.

"Get lost, you ugly freak!"

"You don't belong here! You don't belong anywhere on this earth!"

"Do us a favor and go die in a pit!"

I clutch my head, shut my visible eye tightly, and grit my teeth. I then let my anger out once again.

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT THE HELL UP!" I scream as hot tears run down my face.

I hear them gasp, but I'm not sticking around to hear what else they have to say.

I run down the street, ignoring more jeers and taunts from other neighborhood kids.

* * *

I barge through the front door to my house and slam it shut.

"Anne! What have I said about slamming doors?"

I mentally groan.

Here we go...

A brunette woman in her late twenties to early thirties gets off of the couch and glares at me.

"Where have you been?!"

I frown up at my mother. "I was beaten up!"

She shakes her head. "Tell me the truth, young lady."

I clench my fists. "I swear! I was! Look at the bruises!"

My mother crosses her arms. "You always say you were beaten up. The same excuse every day..."

She doesn't believe me?!

Of course she doesn't... she hasn't believed me ever...

Why doesn't she believe me?!

"I'm telling the truth, Mom!"

"That's enough lies, Anne! Go to your room!"

"But-!"

"NOW!"

Seething under my breath, I glare at her with my visible eye before I stomp upstairs. When I reach my room, I throw the door open, step inside, and slam it shut.

I stand there for a moment.

All is quiet.

Until...

"**RAAAGGGHHH!"**

I scream as I let out all the anger and frustration I felt all day. After the scream ended, I collapsed to my knees and began crying.

Why?!

Why won't they believe me?!

I head over to a mirror and look into it for a moment before I reach up and untie the bandanna.

As I pull it off, I brushed my bangs to the side and stared into the mirror. I could see a bruise forming on my cheek, as well as a few others. I see my eyes glimmering with tears. My left eye is a normal green color... but... my other eye...

It's red.

Blood red.

My eyes are differently colored...

And every kid in the town has labeled me a freak because of it.

They think I'm a freak... an outcast...

That is why I cover my right eye.

To try and avoid more ridicule.

But it never works.

It only adds fuel to the fire.

I beg my parents almost every day for help, but guess what?!

THEY NEVER LISTEN!

They both always think I'm lying and overreacting...

They... let this happen to me...

I sit down, hug my knees, and start to rock myself back and forth.

It's gonna be OK, Anne...

Tomorrow will be a better day...

Hopefully...


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters**

**Anne Marshall belongs to me**

* * *

_"Tag! You're it!"_

_I smile as I run after two boys. One has dark brown hair and the other has black hair._

"_Haha! Catch us if you can, Anne!" the raven haired boy exclaimed gleefully._

_I ignored the glares from the other kids at the playground._

_I was actually having fun..._

_I let out a laugh as I chase the two boys._

_The brown haired boy looks over his shoulder and smiles at me. I find myself smiling back._

_Suddenly, I trip over a rock and fall on my face. _

"_Ouch..." I muttered as I pushed myself up._

_But... the two boys are gone... Like they just vanished into thin air..._

_The smile left my face._

"_Dylan? Chase? Where are you?"_

* * *

Just then, my eyes snap open and I groan at the bright light.

I wearily look around my room. I smile when I see my guitar sitting in a corner of the room.

Man... my guitar is one of the only things I can comfort myself with...

I then remember the dream.

Chase and Dylan... those two were the only, and I mean ONLY kids in town that were nice to me. They'd protect me from bullies. We played with each other almost every day.

Until they didn't show up that day...

I was running to the playground to meet up with them, but they were never there... when the neighborhood kids noticed they were gone, they immediately resumed picking on me.

I sighed. That was two years ago...

I push these thoughts out and throw on a dark blue T-shirt with jeans. Seeing my bandanna on my desk, I grab it and tie it back over my eye. I then head downstairs, seeing my Mom and Dad in the kitchen.

The TV is on. Some news reporter is talking about a virus...

I shake my head and turn to the door. "I'm heading out..."

"Uh huh..." Dad muttered. "If you're late again, don't you dare make another lie." warned my mother.

I scowl before I head out the door.

Please let it be a good day...

* * *

I shove my hands into my pockets, keeping my head low. I hear the typical taunts and jeers aimed at me, but I try to ignore them.

I soon reach a TV store when something catches my eye.

I stop and turn to a TV in a display case as a news report is broadcasted.

_"A strange virus has broken out. Many have been affected by this. The symptoms are pale skin, foaming at the mouth, coughing up blood, and incoherant moaning. If you see anyone that has these symptoms, contact your local hosptial immediately."_

What...?

"What kind of virus is this?" I ask myself.

"Whaddya know? Cyclops can read!"

Oh, come on...

I turn to my right and see two of my tormentors from yesterday.

"Of course I can." I retort with a frown.

One of the boys smirk before they step up to me and shove me to the ground.

"OW!" I exclaim. "What was that for?!"

The boy smirked cockily. "One, you're a freak, and two, because I felt like it."

He then spat on me and high-fived his friend as they laughed cruelly at me before walking away.

I push myself off the ground and wipe the spit off me.

"Why don't they stop?" I ask aloud.

Why do they never leave me alone?

Will it ever stop?

Probably not...

* * *

The sun is now setting.

I find myself backing away from a few bullies as they corner me.

Again...

"Guess we didn't hit you hard enough yesterday, huh?" the leader asks. "Those bruises healed yet? Why don't we give ya some more!"

I growled. "Just go away! Leave me alone!"

He punches me in the gut, knocking the wind out of me.

I hunch over as I cough, trying to regain my breath.

"Make us!"

He then grabs my left arm and holds it up, showing a scar going from my shoulder to my elbow. My eye widened and he smirks.

"Ah, I remember when we gave you this. How about we give you another one?!"

NO!

I jerk my arm out of his grasp.

I remember when I got this. It was about a year ago... the leader here backed me against a wall and beat me until I was on the ground. He then took a knife and dragged the sharp part of it down my arm.

Just remembering it makes me hiss in pain...

I feel my anger begin to build up as I glare at him.

Before I can even stop myself, I reel my hand back and slap him hard across the face.

I pant as I glared at him harder. He stumbled back from the sudden blow.

I look down at my hand, the one I had slapped him with.

That felt good...

"Did she just-?!" one of the boys asked.

"Oh, now she's gonna get it!"

The leader regained his footing and glared at me fierecly. "You're dead."

He then punched me in the face, harder than he did yesterday. Before I can even recover, he kicks my shins and then kicked me in the stomach hard, knocking the wind out of me yet again. He then grabbed my by my shirt, reeled his fist back, and struck me again.

I spit out blood.

Gotta... fight... back...

I clench my fist and sock him straight in the jaw, sending him staggering back.

Shakily getting back to my feet, I start to run away.

"You little bitch!" he roared. "GET HER!"

His cronies started darting after me, but I got a head start.

I duck around a corner and knock over a trashcan, causing them to trip and land flat on their faces. I look over my shoulder and smile victoriously. Heh... dumbasses...

I hear them groan with frustration as I keep running.

Serves you right for what you did to me...

Once I know they're no longer after me, I change my run to a walk as I slowly, and slightly painfully, head home.


	3. Chapter 3

**I don't own The Walking Dead or any of its characters**

**Anne Marshall belongs to me**

* * *

As soon as I reach my house and step inside, both of my parents stomp up to me.

"Anne Marshall, where have you been?!" my father demanded. "It's past eight!"

I look up at them. "I got beat up... again..."

Mom shakes her head. "Here we go. Again with the lies!"

I clench my fists. "I'm not lying!"

Dad frowned. "We know when you're lying, young lady!"

"I'm not! Look at the bruises!"

He pauses for a moment.

"Nice try. I can tell you just ran into things."

"I didn't! I was beaten up! It could have been worse if I didn't get away!" I snapped.

"Quit exaggerating! You're just overreacting!" Dad frowned. "I've had enough of these stories."

"Where do you think I got the bruises?!" I snapped.

"Watch your tone, Anne!" Mom warned.

"Don't you understand?! The kids in town are the reason I'm late!"

"Then just tell the teachers at school!"

I grit my teeth. "What do you think I've been doing?!"

"Watch your tone!"

"I am tired of your lies, Anne!" Mom said. "You have been doing this for years and it's gonna stop!"

WHY?!

Why won't they listen to me?!

"Why don't you believe me?!" I nearly scream.

"Because we KNOW you're lying!" Dad replied.

My anger starts to rise.

"I'M NOT LYING!"

"Anne Marshall! You don't raise your voice to me!"

Do I look like I give a damn right now?!

"For the last time, I'm not lying! I swear to you! I've been beaten up!"

"Stop lying!" Mom snaps.

"BUT-!"

"Anne, you are grounded for three weeks! Maybe that'll teach you a lesson." Dad says as he crosses his arms.

My glare intensifies. "Why won't you listen to me?!"

"Because we're the adults. We know when you're not telling the truth! We know what you're doing out there!"

THAT'S IT!

I slam my fist against the wall. "YOU DON'T KNOW! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT I'VE BEEN DOING FOR THE PAST SEVEN YEARS! I've been getting beaten up for something I have no control over! I have been sent to the hospital because of them!"

"Anne, watch your mouth! You were stuck at the hospital for a month probably because of an accident!"

That ignorant piece of-!

"That was NO accident! I nearly died that day!"

"Stop exaggerating!" Mom yelled.

"I HAVE BEEN LIVING THROUGH HELL! Those people hurt me every day! And you do nothing about it! NOT A DAMN THING! There were only two kids here that bothered to care for me! But they're gone now!" I pause to roll up my sleeve, showing them the scar. "THEY'VE SPAT ON ME, PUNCHED ME, KICKED ME, TEASED ME, EVEN CUT ME! AND YOU LET IT HAPPEN EVERY DAY! YOU NEVER HELPED ME! **EVER!**"

I panted from the adrenaline rush.

I finally got that off my chest...

I looked up at my parents. Both have infuriated expressions.

"ANNE MARSHALL! HOW DARE YOU TALK BACK TO US! GO TO YOUR ROOM!" Mom ordered.

They... still don't believe me...

I feel tears come to my eyes. I glared at them with hatred.

"SCREW YOU BOTH!" I scream as I run up to my room. As soon as I am inside, I slam the door behind me. I rushed over to my bed and buried my face into my pillow as I started sobbing.

"Why? Why won't they believe me...?!" I ask myself.

* * *

I sat on my bed in the dark with my face buried into my hands.

I hate them!

I hate them so much!

They say they care about me, but they never do anything to help!

They don't understand!

They never will...

I looked into the mirror across my room. I see myself. My brown hair is messy and shaggy as usual... my bangs are in their usual position; over my right eye. My bandanna is covering my right eye too as usual...

I grab my guitar and hug it close to me. I shut my eye and let another tear shed before turning to my window.

It's now dark outside. I can see several police cars zooming around, but I pay no attention to them.

The bullies are walking down the street, probably bragging about what they did to me today...

I suddenly punch my pillow in anger.

Why?! Why won't they ever stop?!

I've had it!

I'M DONE WITH THIS!

I see my bag on the other side of my room before I stand up and walk over to it. Kneeling down, I pick it up.

That's it.

I'm leaving.

I'm running away.

* * *

I begin stuffing clothes into my bag. I throw in a few T-shirts, a few hoodies, and some jeans.

Wait..

I still need food... and water...

Slowly, I open my door, seeing no one in the hallway. Good, my parents are in bed...

I creep downstairs and into the kitchen, seeing that they left the TV on.

A man is on the TV doing a news report.

_"The virus has spread to more than twenty counties. Many are being infected by this unknown virus and are showing strange symptoms..."_

Damn, what's up with this virus?

Pushing these thoughts out of my head, I open the fridge and throw several bottle of water into my bag and grab whatever food I need.

Once my bag is full, I sneak back upstairs and into my room. I head over to where I keep my money and grab the jar and stuffed it in. Noticing my guitar, I grab it also.

No way in hell I'm leaving this behind.

I set my stuff down by my bed and lie down.

Everything's ready.

I'm leaving tomorrow at dawn...


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters**

**Anne Marshall belongs to me**

* * *

I open my eyes, seeing the morning light enter my room.

I'm not a morning person, but this time is an exception.

I throw on a dark green T-shirt with blue jeans.

Grabbing my things, I exit my room and tip-toe down the stairs. I freeze when I see my father in the kitchen, but his back is towards me.

Thank god...

I creep towards the front door and slowly open it, making sure not to make a lot of noise, before I slip out.

I squint at the bright light.

I hate mornings...

Gotta get moving... they'll find out that I'm gone soon...

I start walking away from my house.

Bye, assholes...

* * *

I make my way down the sidewalk with my guitar strapped to my back. I see several adults raising an eyebrow as I pass them, but I ignore them.

Not a lot of people are out, especially the neighborhood kids, which is good.

Now I won't have to deal with any problems like that while I'm leaving...

I pause for a moment and see a couple adults gathered by a TV store watching a news broadcast. Raising an eyebrow, I head over to them and watch what is going on on the news report.

_"The infection is spreading rapidly. Many citizens have been infected. If you see any infected individuals, do not make contact with them. I repeat, do not make contact with them. The military is doing everything they can to stop this..." _a man on the TV says.

"Damn, this must be pretty bad." a man comments before he looks down at me. "You should get home, kid. This is pretty serious stuff."

No way... I'm not going back there... ever...

I walk away from the TV store and head around a corner leading to the bus stop.

I pause when I see a pop machine by the corner.

Well, it can't hurt to have a soda when you're running away...

Smirking slightly, I pop the change in and choose the soda. Once it comes out, I pick it up and take a sip.

Ah...

Suddenly, I hear a scream.

What...?

I see a man a couple blocks away from me running from another man. My eye widened when I saw the man tackle the other man...

And take a bite out of his neck!

WHAT THE HELL?!

"OH MY GOD!" I exclaim. The man lets out a gurgle as the other man starts to devour him.

I resist the urge to puke as I pick up my guitar and bags start to run away.

That man just FREAKING ATE THAT GUY!

What the hell is going on?!

I duck around a corner and suddenly bump into someone.

"Oh! Sorry..." I apologized as I looked up at the man, but froze.

The man... he has pale, rotting skin... his eyes are a milky white... and he smells disgusting...

The man bares his teeth and lets out a snarl before he lunges at me.

"WHOA!" I scream as I jump out of the way. The savage man staggers a bit before he regains his footing and stumbles towards me. I start to back away.

"G-Get away from me!" I stammered.

The man responds with another snarl.

"Can't you understand me?!" I asked. Suddenly, I trip and fall on my back.

"Oh shit!" I exclaimed as I started scooting away from the cannabalistic man. He lands on top of me and goes for my throat, but I stop him and use all of my strength to hold him back.

The man snaps his jaws, ready to sink his teeth into my throat.

What do I do?!

I look around desperately, seeing a rock by my side. I grab it and bash it into the man's head, quickly knocking him off of me. I quickly jump to my feet as the man starts to get up.

I quickly shove the savage man into the street away from me...

And he gets hit by a car!

I gasp.

OH MY GOD!

The car screeches to a halt with the man under it.

I start to back away.

What have I done...?

I hear a moan. I look at the front of the car and gasp.

HE'S STILL ALIVE!

He's snarling and reaching towards me, still wanting to sink his teeth into me.

Oh God...

That is screwed up...

I clasp a hand over my mouth before I whirl around and vomit, emptying whatever I had in my stomach onto the ground.


	5. Chapter 5

**I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters**

**Anne Marshall belongs to me**

* * *

I cough as the last of my stomach contents empties out onto the ground.

Oh God...

That man just got hit by a car at full speed...

And he's still alive!

Someone steps out of the car. It is a man in his late thirties.

"Whoa, what the hell just happened?!" he asked as he turned to me. I wipe my mouth and look up at him.

"He... he tried to take a chunk out of me... so I pushed him away... and you hit him..." I explained.

The man gasps. "Oh my God..." he muttered as he headed to the front of his car and examined the man.

"I... I swear! I didn't mean to!" I exclaim nervously.

"Hey, it's not your fault, kid..." he told me as he knelt down to examine the man. Suddenly, the savage man grabbed his arm, sunk his teeth into it, and ripped some flesh off.

I gasp as the man screams in pain and grabs his arm.

"What the f*ck?!" he yelled as he stumbled away from the man. He then looked at me. "G-Get out of here, kid! RUN! GO!"

I gulp and nod before I grab my guitar and bags and start to make a run for it.

* * *

I pant as I duck around corners, seeing several people running in a panic.

"What the hell?!"

"There's people eating people!"

"Get the kids!"

"I gotta get out of here!"

"Mommy!"

Gotta get outta here...

Gotta get somewhere safe...

I hear more screams and snarls as I run.

I screech to a halt when I find a few people start staggering towards me. Each of them have rotting skin and milky white eyes.

SHIT!

I start backing up, looking for an escape, but I can't find one!

Is this it?

Suddenly, I feel a pair of hands grab me and I'm yanked into a store.

WHOA!

"What the-?!" I begin, but I'm cut off by a hand clasping over my mouth.

"Shh!" a female voice hisses. "You're gonna attract them!"

Reluctantly, I nod and remain quiet. I look up at the person who had saved me. It is a girl either 18-19 years old wearing a blue shirt with black shorts.

We look out the window and see that the people had left. I sigh with relief and look at the teen. "Thanks..."

"Don't mention it." the young woman smirks. I take a look at the store I was pulled into.

Holy crap...

I'm in a gun store!

There are guns everywhere! Even a few knives here and there!

"You must be impressed, huh?"

I jump at the voice and turn to see the girl. "Uh, yeah. Never been in a gun store before." I answered.

"You know how to use one?"

I shake my head. "No... not really..."

"Well, you might have to learn how to use one very soon." a male voice says.

Huh?

I turn around and see a male police officer in his early forties with black hair walking towards us.

"What're you saying?" I ask.

"One of my fellow officers contacted me a little bit ago and said that a good blow to the head takes the infected out." he explained.

Wait... is he saying...?!

"You're saying we have to shoot these people?!" I ask.

He shakes his head. "Young lady, those aren't people anymore... they've become something else..."

"Huh?"

He sighs. "They've been infected by a virus. If you get bitten by an infected, you get infected also. Then, in time, the virus kills you. But after a while... it brings you back... but not as a human..."

I gasp.

This must be what the news reporters are talking about!

"So... it brings the dead back to life?!" I ask.

The officer nods. "I'm afraid it does." he answered grimly.

The teen sighs. "This is f*cked up..."

Yeah... it is...

The officer looks at me. "What's your name, young lady?"

"Anne..." I answered.

"I'm Officer Bennett." he introduced as he nodded.

"And I'm Jessica." the girl introduces herself.

I nod.

Officer Bennett then sighs and looks out the window.

"Well, girls... you might as well get comfy... cause it looks like we ain't leaving anytime soon..."


	6. Chapter 6

**I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters**

**Anne Marshall belongs to me**

* * *

I sigh with boredom as I slump against the wall.

It's been at least a day since we've been here...

And I am bored out of my mind...

Jessica keeps an eye on the TV in the store, which constantly talks about the virus that's broken out.

Officer Bennett is by the window observing the infected outside.

Jessica then sits next to me.

"Hey." she greeted.

"Hey..."

"So, what're the bags for?" she asked me.

Should I...?

I sigh. Might as well tell her...

"I'm running away." I answer.

"Why?"

"I get bullied a lot... and my parents don't do anything to help me."

She raises an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

I nod. "Yeah... they don't believe me... they always think I'm lying or overreacting..."

Jessica frowns. "Well, they sound like jackasses."

"They are..." I mutter.

"So where exactly do you plan on headin' to, kid?" Jessica asked.

Aw, shit... haven't thought of that...

Wait... there's...

"My grandpa's..." I answer.

Grandpa is the only one who actually TRIED to help me... he always gets into arguments with my parents... he tries to make them see what's happening to me, but they ignore him...

I heard him even talk about taking me away from here and letting me stay with him... but my parents wouldn't allow it...

"And where is that?" Jessica questioned.

"It's about 300 miles from this town..." I answer. "It's in the country... I'm sure that none of the infected are out there..."

"Yeah... most of the infected seem to be in the cities..." Jessica nodded.

I looked down. I hope he's OK...

"So, what's up with the bandana?" she inquired.

I stiffened before I looked away. "I don't wanna talk about it..." I muttered.

This time, Jessica kept her mouth shut.

She then looked at Officer Bennett. "Hey, Bennett? How much longer are we gonna be in here?"

The man shakes his head. "Those things out there aren't leaving anytime soon. In fact, I think MORE came..."

I groan.

"We can't stay in here forever..." I pointed out.

He nodded. "I know."

He looks down at me. "Are you heading someplace, Anne?"

I nod. "Yeah... my grandpa's... it's about 300 miles from here in the country..." I explained.

I then heard a scream outside, followed by several crashes.

"What the hell?" Jessica asked as we headed over to the store window and peered through it.

Outside, there were several people breaking into a store, sounding an alarm. Moments later, they rush out carrying food and several supplies. One is tackled by one of those... those THINGS out there. He screams as the thing takes a chunk out of his leg.

I don't need to see this...

"Look!" Jessica said.

"What?" I asked. "The sound is drawing those things towards it!" she pointed out. I peered through the window and saw that several of those thing were indeed staggering towards the store that was broken into.

So sound draws those things...

That means...

It causes a distraction...

Jessica then headed over to a glass case filled with guns. Suddenly, she grabs a stool and rams it down on the glass, shattering it.

I brace for the alarm to sound, but it never does.

"Huh... alarm must be broken..." Jessica remarked. She then turned to Officer Bennett and smiled sheepishly. "Uh... you don't mind if I do this?"

He shrugs. "Under normal circumstances, I WOULD mind... but right now... it seems necessary." Bennett says as he heads over to the broken glass case. He reaches in and pulls out a couple pistols. "Girls, start grabbing what you can."

Whoa, what?!

Wouldn't this be considered stealing?!

Jessica starts grabbing guns too. Reluctantly, I join in. I reach into the case and grab a gun.

Man, it feels heavy...

Definitely doesn't LOOK heavy...

Bennett then sets a large bag for holding guns down on the floor. "OK girls, put whatever guns you grab into that bag. And don't forget to grab ammo." he orders.

We all grab whatever gun we can find, as well as several boxes of ammo.

After several minutes of running back and forth grabbing guns, the bag is full. Bennett zips it up, but the butt of a rifle is poking out.

"Nice job." he tells us as he picks the bag of guns up and slings it over his shoulder.

Suddenly, something pounds on the door. The pounds are followed by moans and snarled.

"Aw shit..." Jessica swore.

The door is then broken down and a few of the infected stagger in.

"My car is out back. This way!" Bennett yells as he opens the back door. Quickly, I pick up my bag and guitar before we run through the back door. Jessica slams it shut behind her before we dart over to a police car parked in the alley.

Bennett quickly throws in the bag of guns before getting into the driver's seat. "GET IN! HURRY!" he exclaims.

Jessica gets into the passenger's seat as I open the back door, throw my stuff in, and practically dive into the back seat. I slam the door shut and quickly strap myself in as Bennett floors it.

"HOLD ON!"

The car lurges forward and I'm forced back into my seat. We zoom out of the alley and into the streets.

The tires screech as we round a corner and drive down another street.

I examine the car. So this is what it's like inside a police car...

I see the cage over the window that seperates the backseat from the front seat.

Man, I feel like a prisoner...

I look out the window and see someone running from an infected...

Wait...

I scoot closer to the window to get a better look. My eye widened.

It's one of the guys that beat me up!

The teenage boy screams in fear as he backs away from the thing.

Most of me feels panic as I watch this scene... then another part of me is glad that he's afraid...

He knows what kind of fear I felt for years...

I shake my head. No... no one deserves to have to experience this...

But... I'm not sure about the guys who bullied me... if they deserve it or not...

I'm yanked out of my thoughts as the boy screams again as the monster- getting tired of calling them 'things'- lunges at him, but the boy quickly runs away.

For some reason, I'm glad the infected didn't get him...

Should I be?

Yeah... I should...

I'm not heartless...

Like them...


	7. Chapter 7

**I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters**

**Anne Marshall belongs to me**

* * *

I sit in the back seat, gripping my bag tightly as Bennett swerves around another corner.

"Watch out!" Jessica warns as she points at one of the infected in the middle of the road.

"I see it!" Bennett nods as he swerves to the right, barely missing it.

I see several more people rushing around, screaming in panic.

"You OK back there?" Bennett asks me, not taking his eyes off the road.

I nod. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine..." I confirmed.

"Good."

He continues driving through the streets of town. Soon, we reach a road leading out of town.

Whoa, hold on!

"Hey, where we goin'?!" I ask as I turn my attention to the front seat.

"Didn't you say you were headin' to your grandpa's?" he asked me.

Oh...

"Yeah." I answer.

"Then that's where we're goin'."

* * *

We're mostly silent as we continue our drive down the road.

I stare out the window, seeing vast fields.

Suddenly, the car stops, jerking us forward.

What the...?

Bennett slams his foot down on the accelerator, but we don't move.

Oh, come on...

I look the window.

"Uh... I think we're stuck."

* * *

We step out of the car to examine what happened.

Turns out, we drove over some mud and the back wheel got caught in some of it.

"You have got to be kiddin' me..." Jessica grumbled.

"Well, this is just great..." I groaned.

"Don't complain. It's nothin' we can't handle. Just need to push the car out and we'll be back on the road." Bennett says.

Jessica groans. "This is gonna be messy..."

Of course it's gonna be messy. There's mud involved with this.

The three of us walk to the back of the car and place our hands on it.

"On three." Bennett tells us. "One... Two... Three!"

I begin pushing with all my strength.

Damn, it's stuck in there good!

"Come on..." Jessica growls.

"Move, you stupid piece of tin!" I growl through clenched teeth.

We push harder, and I feel the car move slightly.

It's working!

"It's moving! Keep pushing!" Bennett orders.

We do. I grunt loudly as I push the car with all my might.

The car then moves forward, the wheel finally out of the mud.

YES!

"ALRIGHT!" I cheer loudly.

Bennett smiles. "See? Told ya we could do it."

His gaze then wanders over to a wooden fence. What's he thinking about?

"You know... this is a perfect place for target practice..."

Huh?

He picks up a few cans and props them up on the fence.

"Remember what I said about a blow to the head taking those things out?"

I nod. "Yeah... why?"

He sighed. "One of my fellow officers also told me that shooting them in the head takes them out."

Wait, is he saying...?!

"You're gonna have me shoot those things?!" I asked.

He shakes his head. "No, not yet. More like preparing you. Do you know how to use a gun?"

I scratch the back of my head. "Well... Grandpa used to go hunting with his friends... he showed me a couple guns he had and how to load 'em..." I explained.

He nods. "Did he teach you how to shoot?"

"Not really... he just showed me..."

"Well, I'll show ya how." Officer Bennett tells me as he hands me a gun. "This here is a Glock 17." he explained.

He then showed me how to load the gun and quickly change clips.

"... and then you just slip it back in." he finishes. "Think you can do that?"

Yeah... I think so...

I unload the gun like he showed me, then quickly reloaded it. He smirked.

"Good job. Now, time to teach you how to shoot."

We turn to the fence and stand a good distance away from it. "OK, first thing is, don't lock your elbows." Bennett tells me as I hold the gun out in front of me.

Don't lock my elbows. Got it...

"When you aim, keep it trained on what you're aiming at." Bennett says.

I nod. "OK."

"Don't pull too hard on the trigger. If you want to hit what you're aiming at directly, don't pull the trigger too quickly."

I nod again. "Got it."

"Now, aim at one of those cans and try to shoot one." he tells me. I nodded and aimed my gun at the can in the center. I took a breath and concentrated on the can before I pulled the trigger.

A loud gunshot rang throughout the air. The gun flew back... and hit me straight in the forehead!

OW!

I staggered back from the hit and clutched my forehead. "OW! SHIT!"

"You OK, kid?" Jessica asks me as she watches from the side.

I hiss in pain a little, but nod. "Y-Yeah, I'm good."

Bennett chuckles. "Be glad it didn't hit your nose. That hurts like hell, trust me."

Jessica's gaze wanders over to the fence. "Hey, you got it on your first try!"

Rubbing my forehead, I see that I shot the can and knocked it off the fence.

ALRIGHT!

I smile victoriously. Bennett smirks. "Not bad for a beginner. Can you get the others?"

I bet I can.

I aim the gun at another can and hold it tightly.

Not letting it hit my face again.

I pull the trigger. The kickback sends the gun back a bit, but it doesn't hit my face.

Phew...

I see that I have also shot the can and knocked it off the fence.

Ha! Got another!

I aim at the last can, concentrate, and pull the trigger.

The bullet hits the can dead center and knocks it right off the fence and onto the ground.

I grin. "Ha! Got 'em all!" I exclaimed victoriously.

"Nice job, kid!" Jessica comments.

I then hear something in the distance.

Oh boy...

I turn to my right and see that an infected was fifty feet away staggering towards us.

It must have heard the gunshots.

"Get in!" Bennett yells.

You don't need to tell me twice!

We dart into the car and he slams his foot down on the accelerator. I peer through the back window as we zoom forward and watch as the lurker gets smaller and smaller...

Lurker?

That has a nice ring to it...


	8. Chapter 8

**I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters**

**Anne Marshall belongs to me**

* * *

It's dark.

Completely dark.

I don't care...

So... tired...

I sink deeper into the car seat.

"Hey, kid! Wake up!"

What the?!

My eye snap open and I sit up from my bag that I had used as a pillow. I look up to see Jessica at the car door. "What is it?" I asked as I rubbed my eye.

"We're stopping for the night." she says.

* * *

I step out of the car, seeing that the sky had darkened.

How long have we been driving?

"I'll start a campfire. You girls get comfy." Bennett says as he starts gathering wood and places it in a pit.

I sit down with my guitar and Jessica sits not too far from me.

We're both silent for a moment before I decided to start a conversation. "So... where were you going before this happened?"

Jessica leans back. "Well, I was just passin' through town when this guy came up to me. I thought he was drunk, because he could barely stand up straight. When he tried to take a chunk out of my arm, I made a run for it and ran into Bennett over there. We hid out in that gun store. Then you came and here we are." Jessica says. Her gaze then wanders over to my guitar. "You can play the guitar?"

I nod. "Yeah..."

"How long have you known how to play it?"

"About three years..."

Jessica smirked. "Nice."

I hold my guitar close to me. "This thing almost got destroyed once."

She raises an eyebrow. "What happened?"

I sigh. "Well, I was walking home with it one day when those jackasses that bully me just cornered me. They saw it and yanked it out of my hands. One of them held me back as I tried to get it. Before they could smash it into the ground, my grandpa drove by and saw them. He chased them off. Made sure to not let them see my guitar after that." I explained.

Jessica frowns. "That's just wrong."

"Yeah..."

I look down. Grandpa...

I hope he's OK...

"Would this be a bad time to suggest campfire songs?" Jessica jokes. I smirk.

"Haha..." I sarcastically remarked.

Bennett then starts the campfire. The three of us gather around it.

"So... where were you before you got to that gun store?" I ask the police officer.

He sighs. "Well, I was doin' my usual routine as I passed by town. Suddenly, my radio came on and someone started blabberin' about 'a virus', 'undead', 'infected' people, and other shit. One of my fellow officers called me and started tellin' me about how these people started getting infected by a virus and started EATING people. I told him he was f*ckin' nuts, but he said that he ran into one himself and it nearly got him. I then saw some guy on the side of the road staggering down it. I pulled up to him and asked if he was OK, but he suddenly ran up to my car, reached through the window, and tried to grab me. His eyes were glazed, he was snarling, and he tried to take a chunk out of my arm. I quickly drove away and drove into your town. Saw several more people that had the same symptoms as that man. I even saw one of them get this woman and started eating her. Ran into Jessica here when I found her running from an infected. We drove around til we found that gun store and hid out in it." he explained.

Damn...

"I bet the government will get this straightened out." Bennett shrugs.

I haven't seen any military come yet, so don't bet on that...

"So... how much further to Anne's grandpa's?" Jessica asks.

I shrug. "I don't really know." I answer. "I don't know how long we've been driving."

"Well, I'm sure we'll reach it by tomorrow." Bennett says. "You girls get some rest. I'm gonna keep watch."

"You sure?" I ask.

He nods. "Yeah. I'm fine. You girls just get some rest. We got a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

Jessica lies down on the ground, getting into a comfy position.

I grab my bag, use it as a pillow, and lay my head down on it.

I close my eye, and soon, exhaustion consumes me.


	9. Chapter 9

**I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters**

**Anne Marshall belongs to me**

* * *

_I whimper as I curl up on the ground while I hear laughter. _

"_Freak!"_

"_Monster!"_

"_Ugly!"_

"_Cyclops!"_

_Please... stop!_

"_Stop it... just stop it!" I choked out. The laughter rises in volume._

_Why?!_

_Why do they do this to me?!_

_I feel someone kick me. _

"_You don't belong anywhere!"_

_I grit my teeth._

"_SHUT UP!"_

* * *

The bright morning light hits my face. I hiss as I open my eye and squint at the light.

Where am I...?

Realization hits me. Oh yeah...

I'm by the campfire with Bennett and Jessica somewhere in the woods...

Away from town...

Away from those lurkers...

Away from the kids that beat me up...

Away from my parents...

I sit up, yawn, and stretch.

"'Bout time you woke up." I hear Jessica say. I look up seeing the young woman smirking down at me. "Ugh... what time is it?" I ask.

"About noon." Jessica answers with a shrug. "Close to lunchtime."

Ugh... haven't ate anything yet...

Hungry...

I reach into my bag and pull out an apple. I begin to eat it as Jessica looks at me. "You got food?" she asks.

I swallow and smirk. "What? You thought just cause I was running away meant that I wasn't gonna take food and water with me?" I asked.

She shrugged. "Kind of..."

I rolled my eye and continued eating.

"Ah, good. You're up." Bennett says as he walks over to us. "We're gonna have to leave soon, so be ready."

I nod. "Yeah, OK..."

He headed back to his car. Jessica turned to me. "Uh... mind if I have a bite? Haven't ate since yesterday morning."

I look down at my apple, then back at her. Yeah, I guess I've had enough...

"Sure." I said as I tossed her the apple. She caught it with no problems. "You can have the rest."

She rose an eyebrow. "You sure, kid?"

I nod. "Yeah. Go ahead. I'm good." I tell her. She shrugs and takes a bite out of it. I stand up and grab my guitar and bag as I head over to the police car. Bennett is inside it messing around with the radio. "Attention, all units. Be aware of the infected. Don't let them get you. I repeat, do not let them get you." he says.

No response.

"Damn it..." he mutters.

"Something wrong?" I ask him as I place my guitar and bag into the backseat. He looks at me and shakes his head. "No one's responding to me. Either they're busy helping citizens or are being eaten alive." he guesses.

I wince as the image comes into my mind.

I did NOT need to hear that.

He notices the look on my face. "Sorry if I made you imagine that, kid."

I shake my head, getting rid of the image in my head. "It's alright."

"So, how far did you say your grandfather's house was?"

"About 300 miles. I don't know how far we are from it now..." I answer.

"Well, I'd reckon we got at least 250 miles ahead of us." he guesses.

I groan. Seriously?!

This is gonna be a LONG drive, then...

"So, Anne... since you know how to shoot, now... you should carry this with you..." he tells me as he hands me a Glock 17.

My eye widened. "Seriously?!"

He nods. "Yep. You need it to protect yourself from them. Remember, a blow to the head takes those biters out."

I raise an eyebrow. "Biters?"

Officer Bennett shrugs. "I was gettin' tired of callin' them 'things'." he answers."So, what do you plan on doing once you get to your grandpa's?"

I sighed. "Stay there." I answer simply. He raises an eyebrow. "Anything else?"

I shrug. "Tell him about those lurkers out there. Then, if things get bad, we head somewhere else."

"What about your parents?"

I stiffen.

No way... I'm not going back there...

"Don't talk about them... they didn't do a damn thing to help me when I was getting beaten up..." I muttered as I looked away. "They think I'm lying or overreacting when I tell them..."

Bennett frowns. "They let that happen to you?"

Before I can reply, we hear a loud scream.

"AAAAHHH!"

I whirl around and gasp.

Jessica was backing away from a lurker! How'd we not notice it sooner?!

The lurker staggers forward, reaching out to Jessica.

"SHIT!" Bennett exclaims as he gets out of the car. He pulls his pistol out and aims at the lurker, but he can't get a clear shot. "MOVE!"

Jessica turns to run, but the lurker grabs her arm...

And sinks its teeth into it!

"**AAAHHH!"**

NO!

I gasp in horror as Jessica tries to get out of the lurker's grasp.

I then remembered the gun Bennett gave me.

A blow to the head takes them out...

I pulled the Glock 17 out, held it in front of me, and aimed it at the lurker's head.

My arms shake. Come on...

I pull the trigger and a loud gunshot rings out. The bullet hits the lurker square in the forehead, dark blood spraying out. It ceases moving immediately as it drops down to the ground.

I gasp at what I had done.

Oh my God...

I just... shot it...

I shot it...

I slowly lower the gun, shaking as I do.

"Holy shit!" Bennett exclaims as he rushes to my side.

"I-I just s-shot that thing..." I stammered.

He nodded. "You did..."

Jessica groans in pain as she struggles to get up, but is suddenly pinned down by ANOTHER lurker!

SHIT!

I hold my gun out in front of me again and shoot at it, but miss and the bullet hits the shoulder.

DAMN IT!

The lurker chomps into Jessica's leg, ripping the flesh off as it does. Jessica screams with pain.

"NO!" I exclaim as I aim the gun at the lurker again, but suddenly, Bennett grabs me and pushes me into the police car.

"What're you doing?! We have to help her!" I scream as he shuts the door. "What do you think I'm doing?!" he retorts as he aims his gun and shoots the lurker, but two more come. They must have heard Jessica screaming...

I watch in horror as they join the other lurker and chomp down into Jessica as she continues screaming.

Unable to take it anymore, I tear my eyes away from the sight.

Bennett shoots at them, but he only manages to shoot one of them in the head. Just then, his gun clicks.

He ran out of ammo!

"SHIT!" Bennett curses before he runs back to the police car and gets into the driver's seat. He starts the car up and the engine roars to life."HOLD ON, KID!" he yelled right before slamming his foot down on the accelerator. We speed forward, driving away from the campsite.

Jessica...

I hear her screams of pain recede... getting fainter and fainter...

Until... they stop completely...


	10. Chapter 10

**I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters**

**Anne Marshall belongs to me**

* * *

Officer Bennett and I remained silent as he drove down the road. The motor roars as we speed down the road, but I drone it out...

It's been at least four hours since...

Jessica...

She's gone...

She... got eaten alive...

I didn't know her for that long, but I'm starting to miss her already...

Why did Bennett have to run out of bullets?!

We could have saved her!

I shut my eye tightly as I feel a tear come to my eye.

No, Anne...

Don't cry...

You can't do that right now...

I'm pulled out of my thoughts by Bennett sighing. "Jessica was a nice girl... I miss her already..."

Yeah... she saved my life, after all...

I look out the window and stare at the fields of grass.

Hold on...

This looks familiar...

I turn my attention to the window up front. My eye widens. I can see a house in the distance.

Is that...?!

I look closer. IT IS!

"There it is!" I exclaimed. Bennett jumped a little. "What? What is it?!" he asked. I pointed at the house in the distance. "You see that?! That's my grandpa's!" I told him.

His eyes widened as he turned back to the road.

Come on, go faster!

A few minutes later, he pulls into the driveway. Almost as soon as the engine turns off, I grab my guitar, sling it over my shoulder, and grab my bag before darting out of the car and towards the house.

"Slow down, Anne!" Officer Bennett called as he got the bag of guns out of the car and started to follow me.

I ran up the porch, my heart beating fast, and towards the front door. I saw several muddy footprints on the porch, but I ignored them as I pounded on the door.

"Grandpa? Grandpa! It's me! Anne!" I called.

I waited a moment, but recieved no answer. I knocked on it again.

"Grandpa!" I yelled.

No response.

Slowly, I opened the door and peered inside. I gasped.

Holy shit...

The place looks like a hurricane tore through it!

There's drawers opened, broken picture frames, footprints everywhere...

I run into the kitchen, seeing no one in there. "Grandpa?!"

I then run into the living room, but no one is in here either.

What happened?!

I darted upstairs, checking all the rooms, finding no one.

Did someone break in?!

Finally, I reach Grandpa's room. I take a deep breath and open it.

He's not in here either...

His bedsheets are all over the place, the drawers are opened, the clothes and photo albums are gone...

Even the picture of him and me are gone...

I drop my bag before I sink down to my knees.

"GRANDPA!" I exclaimed.

I then ripped my bandana off, showing both of my eyes, and let out a loud yell of frustration before I started crying.

What happened?!

WHERE IS HE?!

I shut my eyes tightly as hot tears streamed down my face.

He has to be alright...

He's gotta be!

Wiping the tears away, I hold my bandana close to me as I pull my knees close to me and rock myself back and forth.

Grandpa...

PLEASE be OK...

I close my eyes.

A few minutes pass and I'm finally free of my tears. Sniffling, I wipe the tears away from my eyes before I tie my bandana back on, covering my right eye. I move my bangs back to their original position, and stand up.

I should let Bennett know about this...

I grab my bag and head exit the room. I examine the hallway, seeing that several pictures were missing. What kind of burglar takes pictures?

I head downstairs. As soon as my foot touches the bottom step, I hear a gunshot.

WHAT THE?!

My eye widens as I tighten the grip on my bag and run up to the window. I peer through it and gasp.

Bennett's outside shooting lurkers!

My grip tightens on my bag as I dart to the front door. I hear another gunshot before I yank the door open. My eye widens at the sight.

Four lurkers are ganging up on Bennett, their moans chorusing together. Bennett backs away as he shoots at them. He sees me out of the corner of his eye.

"Anne! Grab the guns!" he ordered. I nodded and ran towards the bag of guns quickly. I unzipped it and grabbed a rifle, but a sudden cry of pain caught my attention. I looked up and gasped. Bennett had shot a lurker and was clutching his shoulder... with blood spurting out of it...

He was bit on the shoulder...

"NO!" I cried out. He turned to me.

"Anne! Grab whatever guns and ammo you can carry and get out of here!" he yelled through gritted teeth. "I'll hold 'em off! GO!"

I shook my head. "But what about you?!" I exclaimed.

"I'll be fine, kid! JUST GET OUT OF HERE!" he yelled as he turned around and started shooting again. I reached into the bag and pulled out two Glock 17s, a 12 gauge shotgun, and a couple boxes filled with ammo before stuffing them in my bag. I zipped it up quickly before picking it up. I turned to look at Officer Bennett and saw that he had fired several more bullets. "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! **GO!**"

I gulp and nod before I head back inside and run towards the back door. I slam it open, the screendoor banging on the wall as I barge through. As I climb over the fence, I hear Bennett's screams of pain as the lurkers' snarls seem to increase in volume. I shut my eye and shake my head before I run into the woods, away from Grandpa's house...

* * *

I pant as I run through the woods.

Bennett...

He's gone...

I shake my head as I continue running.

Soon, I stop to rest as I hunch over, placing my hands on my knees as I gasp for breath.

If Grandpa wasn't at his house... then where is he?

Once I regained my breath, I stand back up and change my run to a walk.

As I walk, I hear crickets chirp and leaves rustling.

It's peaceful...

Definitely ain't peaceful out there...

I stop when I hear a moan.

What the...?

I cautiously pull out a Glock 17 as I glance around.

Where's it coming from?

Cautiously, I walk through the woods as the moans get louder.

Finally, I stop.

I see a lurker trapped under a large, fallen tree branch. The lurker must have seen me, because it reached out to me and tried to grab me.

Shakily, I aim the gun at the lurker's forehead... and pull the trigger.

**BANG!**


	11. Chapter 11

**I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters**

**Anne Marshall belongs to me**

* * *

It's been at least two days...

So tired...

I stumbled through the woods, kicking away several rocks and sticks as I do.

I'm all alone...

… it sucks.

Under normal conditions, I'm used to it, but now with the dead wandering around...

It just makes me nervous... more nervous than I had been when I was trying to avoid the bullies...

Damn, it felt safer back in that gun store...

I sighed and leaned against a tree, listening to the leaves rustling.

How long have I been walking?

I can't tell...

Lost track of time...

Wish I had a watch on me...

My ears pick up the sound of a twig snapping. My eye widens and I reach for my Glock 17. "Who's there?" I called nervously.

I hear a moan in response.

Oh great...

Two lurkers stumble out of the bushes.

"SHIT!" I exclaimed.

I looked around frantically.

Where do I go?!

My gaze wandered over to a tree. Without another thought, I dart over to it, out of the lurkers' sight, and start climbing up it.

Don't look down, Anne... don't look down...

I continue climbing until I reach a large tree branch high off the ground. I perch myself on it and sigh with relief before I look down at the lurkers.

I see them moaning as they look around. Probably wondering where I'm at...

Heh... dumbasses aren't lookin' up here... that's good...

The two lurkers just stand there and look around for a few minutes. Finally, they limp away.

I silently sigh with relief as I watch them stagger off into the woods.

I wait until the coast is clear before I climb back down.

* * *

I continue my trek through the woods. Looking down, I remember the two recently deceased people I met...

Why...?

Why'd Bennett have to die?

Why'd Jessica have to die?

They were... good people...

Why did they have to die?

I sigh sadly. They were... gone too soon...

I then look up at the sky. It's a baby blue color, the clouds idly floating in the sky.

It's beautiful... compared to the shit down here...

Suddenly, I hear a voice behind me.

"Don't move."

I freeze. Oh no... what now?!

"Turn around... slowly..."

Reluctantly, I obey, seeing a boy no older than me wearing a purple t-shirt with dark blue jeans. Once he sees my face, he frowns. "Oh. It's YOU, Cyclops."

I groan. "Nice to see you too, Nash." I retorted. Nash is one of the jackasses who bullied me. He talks big, but barely backs it up.

He smirks. "Hard to believe you're out here. Thought you'd be sniveling in a corner while those things came out and started eating people. So why are you out here?"

"Why are YOU out here?" I shoot back.

Nash smirks again. "Ooh... Cyclops has gotten sassy, hasn't she?"

"Screw you."

Nash's eyes widen. "What?"

"You heard me."

He frowns as he glares at me. "I'm out here looking for stuff. You?"

"Tried to find my grandpa, but he wasn't there." I answer. Nash smirked again. "Aww... so that idiot finally abandoned you like those other two idiots did?" he mocked.

I growl. NO ONE talks about Grandpa like that!

"Screw you again." I snap.

He is silent for a moment. He then looks at my bag. "Gimme your food."

Oh, come on...

I do NOT wanna play this game!

"No." I replied. Nash then pulls out a switchblade.

"That wasn't a request." He frowns.

Oh crap...

"I said 'no'." I repeated, matching his glare. Inwardly, my heart was beating fast. He's got a knife. No telling what he's gonna do!

Nash chuckles. "Don't make this harder than it has to be, Cyclops."

I mock a laugh. "Oh, threatening a girl... That's REAL gentleman-like of you."

"Who said I was a gentleman?" he retorts with a smirk before he holds his hand out expectantly. "Now... give me your bag."

I shake my head. "No. Not gonna happen."

Nash chuckles at me. "Have it your way." he shrugs before he takes a swing at me with the switchblade, but I quickly duck. I then punch him in the stomach, making him recoil slightly as he grips his stomach. "You bitch!" he growled as he slashed at me, but I quickly move out of the way, the switchblade barely touching my skin. I hear the metal whoosh in the air as it misses me. Nash growls with annoyance before he grabs my arm. "Hold still so I can hit you!"

Not gonna happen!

I reel my fist back and punch him square in the face. I hear a satisfying 'crack' as he stumbles back.

"OWW! You bitch! You broke my damn nose!" he screamed as blood spurted from his nose.

"Now you know how I feel when you beat me up!" I exclaim. He snarls and aims a punch at me, but I quickly move to the side and grab his arm. I pull him close and ram my fist into his already broken nose, making him groan in pain. He stumbles back away from me a few feet, holding his nose in pain. I then aim a kick at his stomach, which only increases the pain for him.

Nash staggers back a few feet until he's standing in front of a bush. "I'm not done yet! I'll-!" He is suddenly cut off when a lurker jumps onto him from behind and takes a chunk out of his shoulder. He screams as the lurker tears the flesh off with its teeth.

OH MY GOD!

I resist the urge to vomit as I see the flesh being ripped off. Nash, gritting his teeth in pain, takes the switchblade and stabs the lurker in the head. The lurker's snarls cease immediately as it falls to the ground. Nash pants as he watches it collapse. He then places a hand on his shoulder, trying to stop the bleeding. He then turns to me, smirking weakly.

"Huh... you're one hell of a fighter, ya know that, Cyclops?" he told me before he stumbled back and leaned against a tree. The boy then looks at me. "Why didn't you ever fight back before?"

"B-Because you never g-gave me a chance to..." I stammered, not taking my eyes off of his shoulder wound.

He chuckled weakly. "Heh... guess not... guess that I really AM a dumbass, huh?" he asked before hissing in pain. I reached into my bag for medical supplies, but he waved his hand dismissively.

"Nah... don't even bother. I'm not gonna make it..." he muttered.

"What?! B-But you need-" I argued, but he shook his head.

"Just shut up. You know that I'm done for." he told me. I sigh reluctantly as he slumps down. He's starting to look pretty pale from bloodloss...

"Where were you headed?" he suddenly questioned.

I blink, not expecting this. "Someplace safe..." I replied. He smirked weakly. "You do that then..." Nash told me. He coughed, spitting out blood as he did. "Looks like this is it for me, huh? I'm gonna come b-back as one of them...?"

He sighs and looks up at the sky. "G-Get out of here..."

I swalllow, my mouth dry. "O-OK..." I muttered.

"M-More are bound t-to be out here, so get your ass movin'..." he tells me, his breathing becoming labored. "W-Well? What are y-you waiting for? G-Go!" he coughed. Reluctantly, I turn around and start walking away from him.

"And Anne..."

I freeze. He called me by my name...

I turn around to see him looking at me. His skin is starting to pale, the blood continuing to flow from his wound. "You watch your back."

My eye widened before I nodded. I looked at Nash one last time before turning back around and started walking away from him as he slumped his head.

You know... he wasn't such a bad guy after all...


	12. Chapter 12

**I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters**

**Anne Marshall belongs to me**

* * *

**Day 76**

I sighed as I looked up at the sky.

Hard to believe it's been that long since...

I shook my head and kept walking.

I take a look at my surroundings as I walk down the street. I see several corpses strewn out on the sides of the road.

I shudder. God...

Ahead of me, I see a few buildings. I've come to a small rest stop. There were a few small stores placed there.

Please let there be something here...

I walk up to it and look at a sign. "'Conner's Rest Stop...'" I read out loud.

There's gotta be SOMETHING here...

Slowly, I push the glass door open and enter the rest stop.

The place looks pretty run over... lotta brochures scattered around on the floor... broken glass...

My gaze follows the trail of broken glass and it ends at a vending machine... with the window broken...

Oh, hell yes...

I quickly walk up to it and examine the contents. Inside are several small bags of chips...

Whoever did this must have been in a hurry, cause they left behind some REALLY good brands...

I reach inside, grab the bags of chips, and stuff them into my own bag.

Walking away from the vending machine, I headed over to a brochure stand, which only has a few brochures on it now. "No one will be stopping by to pick one up for a while, I guess..." I shrug. My gaze then wanders over to the bathrooms...

Maybe there's running water here?

Nah, wouldn't bet on that...

Shaking my head, I peer behind the brochure stand and find a full bottle of water behind it.

I smile to myself. Alright!

I take it and stuff it into my bag. I then peer over my shoulder and examine the rest stop one more time.

"Don't see anything else... maybe there's something in the stores outside?" I wonder out loud. Adjusting the position of my guitar on my back, I exit the rest stop, feeling the wind hit my face. I look to my right, seeing one of the stores. I walk over to it and look up at the sign. "'Coleman's Knife Store'..." I read before looking at the door in front of me. I swear, if ALL of the knives are gone...

I take out my Glock 17 and hold it as I cautiously step inside...

* * *

The store was empty... no one was in here...

Cautiously, I peer behind the desk, and immediately wish that I didn't.

Lying behind the desk was the rotten corpse of a man, probably the owner of this store...

I gagged at the sight. The skin was rotten, and flies were zooming around the corpse. I could see a bullet hole in it's head.

"Disgusting..." I groaned out as I quickly looked away, resisting the urge to vomit at the sight. I hold my gun cautiously as I slowly head over to a closet door. I grabbed the doorknob and yanked it back, but thankfully, nothing was in there... except for a broom. I sigh with relief as I close the door.

I turn back around to examine the place. Most of the knives are gone... MOST of them...

My gaze wanders over to a broken display case. I walk over to it, finding a hunting knife and a survival knife. These will be useful...

Careful of the broken glass, I reached in and pulled out the two knives. I stuff the survival knife into my bag. This hunting knife will be useful...

Gonna need a holster for it...

I look around the room until I find a couple sheaths and a knife holster. I take the knife holster and strap it to my leg as I place the hunting knife in it. I then take one of the sheaths and place the survival knife in it before placing it back in my bag.

Smiling with content, I adjust my guitar on my back and pick up my bag. I take another look around, hoping to find some food, but find nothing.

Sighing, I head towards the entrance and reach for the doorknob.

But I stop as I hear a man's voice outside.

"Wyatt? You here, man?!"

I gasp as I pull away from the door and back away. I hear the man's footsteps come closer to the door. Looking around frantically, I duck into a gap behind a shelf and hide there as I hear the door open. Peering through a crack, I see that the man has a piercing below his lip, a stubble, several tattoos, and a black and gray beanie on his head. He was wearing a black shirt over a white T-shirt with blue jeans. I saw the man search around the store.

"Wyatt! You in here- Oh God, that's f*cking gross..."

He must've found the corpse...

I remain motionless as I watch the man examine the place. He rummaged around, only finding a bottle of water. He sighs. "It'll have to do..." he mutters to himself. "I just hope Wyatt's alive..."

And with that said, he heads towards the entrance. I hear his footsteps clacking against the tile door as he opens the door, steps outside, and shuts the door behind him.

I sigh with relief once I know he's not in the store. Coming out of my hiding place, I head over to the store window and peer through it, seeing the man with the tattoos leaving.

I should get out of here too...

I take one last look around the place, finding a bottle of water. I stuff it in my bag before I cautiously step outside. I look on both of my sides, making sure no one else was around, before I make a break for it.

I run away from the rest stop, not daring to look back.


End file.
